Open the Window, and Stand in the Sunshine
by Cassandra L. Johnson
Summary: Logan, Marie and young Bobby and Kitty as twins are imprisoned in a room high above the Howlett Mansion under a force field that disables there mutant powers. Parody of Flowers In The Attic.
1. Goodbye, Professor

( As I said during my last fan fiction I was going to attempt to make a parody of Flowers in the Attic with Rogue and Wolverine. This my darlings shall be no easy task, but I have my series ready for quick reference for those of you who have read the series please send me your reviews and let me know what you think as this is one of my FAVORITE series in the whole wide world. Thank you and now let the story BEGIN! )

_Goodbye, Professor._

Truly when I was only a mere tot I believe that all our days would be one long wonderful adventure together. Charles was like the father in my young world as was Scott and Jean and Ororo they were like my family my mother, my father and each day was greeted with hugs and kisses as I came to the mansion when I was just at the tender age of seven and a half. The school had been running a few years and even as the X-Men were really all that old only barely out of there teens to me they where the most grown up people I had ever met always attending to the younger mutants. Charles was God in my eyes and I never felt that the affection he showed towards me especially would change as I seemed to be the youngest and most dangerous mutant to have been brought here. Looking back now I sometimes wonder if it was my shy sweetness that brought him closer to me or perhaps my mutation either way Charles spent many hours with me talking to me about ways to learn how to co-exist with my powers and even one day learn to control them.

Many times Charles had to go away on business trips with Jean but we at the mansion could always count on him being back Friday evening, Charles always told us that he could not bare to be away from the most important people in his life for more then a week. And at this time Charles had not taken to his wheel chair just yet he got around with a gleaming cane of cherry mahogany fashioned just for him but a special craftsman. And each Friday when Charles would come home he would bring gifts to those of us who were the closest to him.

And every Friday me, Scott, and Ororo would make up a special little party in his office just for him and hide behind his desk giggling to ourselves as we heard voices coming closer and the soft tapping of his cane against the hard wood floors. And soon the door would open the light from the other room shinning behind him as he threw out one arm and would call out. "Greet me with hugs if you missed me!" And we all would burst from behind his desk and run towards him, I would always fall back and Scott shook the professors hand and gave him a gentlemanly hug and Ororo she would almost cry every time he came home and she would hug him like a daughter and he would always offer her his handkerchief to dry her eyes with, and this those kind gently blue eyes would fall on me and I would run to him hugging his legs before he would scoop me up in one arm and I would hug his neck.

At these moments the Professor and I would stand back to watch Jean float into Scott's arms and they would kiss and hold each other, that never ending love they had for each other still touches my heart even till this day. Charles would almost smile as he sent to sit behind his desk and each time this happened he would look to me and say. "You see them together Rogue my dear? One day you'll find the one that's perfect for you. No matter your mutation." These words always brought a sheer leap of hope and faith into my spirit because I truly believed everything that Charles told me.

Only a year had passed when the professor had been in cerebra for several hours the group of us had gathered outside of cerebra worried waiting for the professor to come out slowly the doors slide open, from what we knew the professor had been tracking a certain mutant for almost fifteen whole years. He'd been a subject at a mutant testing lab and had escaped but not before they had done there damage. He now had long metal claws that shot out from his forearm and his whole skeleton structure had been altered with a special metal called adamantium. He wanted to find this man and bring him back to the institute for protection and also to help him find out a bit more of his past since every time he tried to read his memory he was blocked as if he had some sort of amnesia. And there for if the man himself couldn't even tap into those lost memories neither could the professor, everyone was all on board to help this mutant as it was our job to reach out to those in need, to protect the innocent, and love the unloved. Are at least that's what being part of this family of mutants meant to me.

When the professor and Jean brought the man back to the institute from Canada he was in the med lab for almost three days sleeping, he'd been in a terrible car accident and he'd been beaten up pretty badly by one of Magneto's goons. And when he did wake up he was like a wild best rampaging through the institute flashing his claws at anyone to crossed his path except for Charles and Jean, I think he kind of liked Jean who wouldn't she was the most beautiful women I had ever seen other then Ororo. And once the man called Wolverine spoke with the professor and had hopes of learning about his past, he seemed to calm down a little bit he stopped flashing the claws at everyone but he was still brooding he rarely came out of his room for anything other then meals and the chance to flirt with Jean across the dinner table. It made Scott mad I could tell even then at only eight years old I knew there was a feud brewing between these men. But for some reason I kind of liked this man called Wolverine he was a loner just like me, and he didn't seem to afraid of anything even me although I'm not really sure he knew much about my mutation until one night I came down from my room to the kitchen for a glass of water. Moving stealth like in the darkness, I liked these times because there was no fear of bumping into someone in the halls it was just quiet and dark and empty. When I reached the kitchen I pulled the little stepping stool over to the cabinet for a glass moving around in the dark still I never turned any lights on at all and poured a glass of water from the tap when I heard something. Holding my glass with my bare hands I turned to see the dark massive figured of the man Wolverine seated at a bar stool, the sound I had heard was that of his lips popping away from the beer bottle he clutched.

"Don't you know its not polite to go around scaring people in the dark, mister?" I ask with my most stern tone.

Putting his bottle down on the counter he fixed me with a dark gaze even without the lights on I could tell if looks could kill I probably would've dropped dead right on the spot. "You're the one who snuck in on me, kid." He said his voice sounding low and fierce.

I just stood there for the longest moment holding my glass, Wolverine was right. I had done all the sneaking but how the heck was I to know that he would be sitting there in the dark. So hopping down from my step stool I went over to the light switch and flicked it on trotting over to the empty seat next to him and climbing up it with a 'Huff' my pink ballerina slipper clad feet dangling as I sipped my water. "Now we're not in the dark anymore."

He gave a 'huff' under his breath taking another drink from his beer, he was shirtless in gray sweat pants with his hair tussled a clear sheen of sweat was over his face and upper body. Leaning over catching the gleam of light off of something dangling around his neck it looked like an army dog tag. "Where you in the army? Does- doesn't that mean you were in the army?" I asked looking wide eyed at him for a long pause as he looked down at the dog tag and didn't answer.

I thought this was rather rude of him. "So what kind of a name is Rogue?" Wolverine asked suddenly his eyes narrowed as he stared blankly ahead at the sink faucet dripping. I shrugged gently, Rogue wasn't my real name. I'd never told anyone my real name. "Well what kind of a name is Wolverine?" I asked sharply normally people knew when to back off, they where always afraid I would touch them if they didn't.

Smirking he turned his head slightly to look at me for a moment before snorting his amusement at my attitude. "Names Logan…" He said turning his head back to the faucet.

Smiling softly I finished my water. "Marie…" I added looking at him at the same time he turned his gaze back onto me. "So what's with the gloves all the time Marie?" He asked which made my smile fade away.

No one really asked about my skin anymore not since everyone knew about it, and even when new people came to the institute other students quickly told them about 'Rogue's Skin' it made it rather hard to make friends with the kids who came to Xavier's that where my age. "Its mah skin…when I touch people, it just hurts them." I answered being from the sound whenever I was anxious my accent came floating back no matter how hard I tried to cover it.

Logan's gaze feel to my hand holding my empty water glass and nodded his acknowledgement. He didn't seem to be afraid of me at all and I liked that, liked it a lot. And from that moment forth I was like Logan's twin where ever he went I was sure to follow in his footsteps. My smile returned to my face as I scooted off of my stool and took my glass to the sink and headed back up to my room, but before leaving the kitchen I turned back and gave him one of my one hundred watt light bulb smiles and said. "Goodnight Logan."

_The Twins._

One spring when I was sixteen. Scott, Ororo, and myself were behind the professor's desk awaiting his return. Logan normally never took part in our little coming home parties but would usually stop in to welcome him home with a brief nod. As the years had passed Charles legs had given out and he now got around in a silver mechanical wheel chair and the familiar sound of his motor as he approached put us all on edge ready to jump out from behind his desk. As the door opened Charles did not look as happy as he normally did when he and Jean returned.

We all were quickly seated on one of the large leather couch's in his office as Jean and Charles explained that on the flight home in the black bird the professor had tapped into cerebra and his attention was alerted of two baby mutants twins a boy and girl whom had been abandoned at a hospital in Boston by there parents after the girl phased through her mothers arms and the boy beginning to cry missing his twin had almost frozen his mothers arms solid. The nurses and doctors at the hospital hadn't the slightest idea of what to do with the two children and that he and Jean would be leaving immediately to take the children into the institutes custody.

This frightened me, we'd taken in many young mutants but never babies and certainly not a baby girl, the boy I wasn't so much afraid of but the girl she would be smaller, cuter and everyone would want a little piece of her. Charles would love her more then me and she would take my place in his heart. Of course I didn't show any of these fears as Charles and Jean left once again but as soon as the jet had left the hanger I went up to my room falling over onto my bed crying until I fell asleep. Ororo had tired to get me to come down from my room for dinner but I hadn't responded to her voice outside of my locked room, nor had I responded to Scott's or Logan's. It was strange hearing them both outside of my door trying to work together to get me to come down. Later after Scott had left my door Logan staid there saying he could smell my tears and to let him in and talk to him about what I was so upset about. Normally over the years I had always confided all my fears, dreams, thoughts to Logan but not this time. I felt guilty and ashamed for acting so childish but I still didn't like the idea of that little girl coming to take my place.

Charles and Jean had staid over night in Boston with the twins until the next morning when Jean would better be able to handle the black bird in the air. And I still hadn't come out of my room but I had unlocked my door for Ororo to come in bringing breakfast with her asking if I would like to come down to welcome Charles, Jean, and the new babies home and I shook my head still hiding my face in my pillow after I had collapsed onto my bed again.

"Rogue, what's wrong sweetheart? I've never seen you behave this way before." Ororo said rubbing my back gently as I tried to choke back my sobs as they returned again.

After a moment I confessed all my thoughts about the baby girl coming. And she lovingly assured me that Charles would always love me as he had before, nothing would ever change and that the babies coming would be like living dolls for me to love and play with and that they would need my help taking care of them. But I didn't believe her and just hide in my pillow again as she left my room seeing that there was no talking me out of my beliefs.

A few hours later as Charles and Jean had returned, Jean and Scott were getting the twins settled into a bedroom adjoin to there's so they could keep an eye on them at night. Charles came to my room a sadness in his normally cheerful blue eyes.

"I missed you greeting me home Rogue." He said using my code name, even though he had the power to search my mind for my real name he never had in all the years I had been at the institute.

I didn't speak, I couldn't all I could do was hate that little girl only a few doors down from my bedroom. I hadn't even raised my head from my pillow to look at Charles and noticed the pink wrapped box sitting in his lap. "Don't you even want to open your present, Rogue?" He asked his voice sounding hurt.

"I had hoped that you would always run to hug me when I returned even if I didn't have a gift for you, the only reason I didn't give it to you before was because Jean and I had to get to the children before they where handed over to social services. But I guess I was wrong." He said softly the sound of his wheel chair starting to leave and raised up from my pillow pulling my knee's into my chest.

"Its not that Charles." I sniffled watching him as he turned his wheel chair to look at me softly. "Its not, Rogue?" He asked a little of the previous light returning to his eyes.

I shook my head softly. "No, its just there's a new baby girl in the mansion and she's so sweet and your going to love her more then me and you'll forget all about meh." I said tears forming in my eyes once again still blood shot from crying so much.

Wheeling himself closer to my bed Charles looked at my softly a small smile playing on his lips. "Oh Rogue. My dear no one could ever take your place. I foolishly believe that I had been a good father figure, that even if I didn't bring home one single gift for you or the others that you all would greet me home with love, and even if I brought home a dozen children to the institute that my special Rogue would know that she was my special girl, because she was my first." Charles said gently looking down into his lap at the large pink wrapped box as I shot him an angry glare.

"But when that little girl gets bigger you'll probably tell her the same thing." I choked up a sob and hiding my face in my arms again.

"Would I?" He asked gently. "Yes!" I shouted. "You'll love her more because she'll be little and cuter!" I cried wanting to scream at the top of my lungs but I felt I just didn't have the energy to do so, I was already so exhausted from crying since last night.

Holding his arms out towards me I couldn't resist not flinging my arms around his neck my cheek resting against his neck as it had taken many long years to finally find control over my mutation. "That's just not true Rogue, I may love her as much but I could never love her more. And real babies are much more fun to play with then dolls, and everyone and myself are going to need a lot of help taking care of them. So now, please don't cry, don't be jealous. Open your present and then you can come and see the babies." Pulling away from his against my own will I couldn't help but smile drying my eyes trying to believe him even though I still didn't believe him sort of as he passed the gift into my lap.

Swallowing softly I opened the box taking out a beautiful ballerina spinning before a mirror around and around it was a music box. "Its also a jewel box." Charles said softly the anxiety leaving his eyes. "And what's the use in having a jewel box if there is nothing to put inside of it." He added leaning over to open the small drawer that held a small silver ring with an emerald stone inside of it.

Smiling I chocked back more sobs but these were happy tears that now slide down my cheeks as I took the ring out looking at it before I slipped it onto my finger and wrapped my arms around Charles neck hugging him tightly before I pulled away slowly and looking him in the eyes softly.

"I love it Charles, but I don't love you for your gifts. I love _you_. Your like my daddy." I said before kissing his cheek softly and putting my musical jewel box onto my bedside table standing up ready to go see the babies fully believing that neither would take my place.

As Ororo and Charles had both told me the babies really were better then dolls even though I had long ago stopped playing with dolls I loved them both like I had, had them myself. The girl still drove me crazy a little bit she cried almost constantly if someone wasn't holding it, or if her twin was too far away from her. The loud mouth little girl we named Katherine 'Kitty' for short and the boy Robert 'Bobby' for short. And they where adorable. I spent all my time away from my studies playing with them, feeding them, changing them, and bathing them. And now there were two more additions to our little family to burst out from behind the professor's desk each Friday when he came home with Jean.

_The Party._

It had almost been a full two years since the twins had come into our lives, even Logan seemed to have gone soft and would let Bobby right on his shoulders and pull in the two peaks of hair that stood up on his head and run around the yard with him making loud rumbling car noises while Jean, Ororo, and myself would sit back playing with Kitty and watching before she ran over to Logan grabbing onto his leg and saying, "Do me now Wogan, do me now!" Kitty was the pushy one where as Bobby was more quiet and let his twin do most of the talking.

One Friday it happened to be Charles birthday when he and Jean would be returning home and everyone had decided to move the small apart of only four - sometimes five if Logan decided to join in, into the dinning room and have a big birthday party for Charles. Myself and Ororo did all the cooking while Scott and Logan put up all the decorations and the students ran around getting dressed and putting all the presents onto the dinning room table in pretty stacks.

Charles would blush as red as Jean's hair when he came in and saw everything we had done for his birthday. After having dinner ready and setting out the cake with the candles ready to light in it, it was my job to take the twins up for there bath and to put them in there nicest outfits. Taking them up into my room Logan soon followed getting ready himself actually putting on a suit borrowed from Scott as the tension between the two had calmed considerably over the years and they now seemed to be pretty good pals. Getting the twins bathed and putting Bobby in his cute little sailor suit and Kitty into her little matching sailor dress they both looked like angels. Now the tricky part of keeping them clean while I got dressed, someone Kitty always found a mess to get into and Bobby had a constant case of hay fever and his little nose ran all the time which he sniffled and wiped his nose over the sleeve of his little suit. Taking the twins by there hands I took them down the hall into Logan's room and knocked on the door softly before I opened it he was sitting there smoking a cigar on the edge of his bed when I came in with the twins turning them over to him. "Try and keep them clean while I take a bath." I said with a happy but exhausted smile as I left them with him the sound of some childish fairy tale book he was reading audio able from outside the door as I ran back to my room to bath and dress.

Less than an hour I was dressed the twins still presentable were all back down stairs in the dinning room, the twins in there playpen playing with there little trucks and dolls as everyone laughed and chatted together waiting for Jean and Charles to arrive. Slowly hours passed by and everyone started getting tired sitting down at the table but refusing to eat until Jean and Charles got home.

They had been scheduled to arrive back at the institute by six that evening and it was now eight o'clock and Ororo and I were starting to worry taking turns pacing the dinning room floor and peaking out of the window searching the sky for the black bird to appear any second.

"They would've called if anything had happened, probably just something important popped up and they haven't arrive on time yet." Scott said his arms folded always the voice of logic as Logan had disappeared outside for a beer.

The twins had already begin to complain of being hungry and tired and Scott took them into the kitchen as another hour slowly passed to feed them before taking them up to there cribs and putting them to sleep and coming back down just as the black bird appeared in the night sky, everyone on edge we all went down into the hanger as it was being shut off and the hatch slowly opened and a lone Jean walked out looking haggard and her eyes blood shot from tears.

Everyone but myself rushed towards her just as she was about to collapse onto the floor. Scott quickly grabbing her and helping her as she shook her head clinching her eyes shut. Ororo, Logan, and the students gather around her as she began to speak. "There was an attack by the brotherhood, I- I think I must've blacked out because when I came to he-." Jean choked up shaking her head again as a few students gasp having already guessed what had happened.

"There was nothing I could do, when I came to Charles…the professor he was…, gone." She sobbed students grabbing each other for support as a chorus of mournful cries rang out in the hanger. Logan's head dropped his hands being shoved into his pockets quickly his back wracking with the tears he was trying to hide from everyone around them.

I didn't believe it, running forward I was pushing my way passed students to get to Jean as she hide her face against Scott's heaving chest tears falling from behind his visor Ororo holding a group of students in her arms as they all cried together.

"Its not true is it Jean? No…it can't be you were unconscious maybe…maybe your wrong maybe the brother hood just took him?!" I shouted desperate to hear her say that was what had happened that Charles was alive somewhere.

But she never answered me, and in her silence I knew what she said had to be true. The professor was dead and he would never be coming home again to say 'Greet me with hugs if you missed me!' and that she and the twins would never be able to turn to embrace him and smother his cheeks with kisses and tell him how much they had missed him.

Charles was dead. And even as I stood there I felt Logan's hands protectively wrap around my shoulders as my head fell back my knee's weakening as I howled. "Noooooooooo!" as all my childhood memories came crashing down around me as I fell to the floor my voice ringing out inside of my head as well as the metal walls of the hanger.


	2. The Road To Riches

_The Road to Riches._

Without the Professor it had been an agreement among the team and many of the older students had begun training to join the X-Men that Xavier's School Institute for Higher Learning with close. It was a sad decision for everyone to agree too, but in the end without Charles it just did not seem right to carry on without him. At the end of the semester all the students with families still wanting them would take them all back in, others would be sent to an associate of Charles a Ms. Emma Frost who ran a school in Boston for those gifted like there selves and if wished the students who returned home could attend this school as well.

Ororo and Hank would be going to Boston as well with the other students while Scott and Jean prepared the school for closing. They would not sell the institute for one day in the future there minds might be changed and they would wish to open again to the young mutant public. As for myself, I was going to go to Boston with the twins and Logan with Ororo and Hank.

It was going to take a good couple of months to make sure that all the students going home and going to Emma Frosts had gotten there safely and where being treated well it was one thing everyone knew was that he would want all his students to be treated fairly and to be fitting in with everyone else. It got harder and harder in the passing month as all the students seemed to disappear from the halls of the institute classes no longer being taught. In a way it all felt so wrong, even though we all felt we couldn't go on without Charles it felt so completely wrong to be giving up on his dream although in a way we really weren't giving up we were merely chancing locations. No one had been right since his death often times you could find the students sitting around talking about how they had first meet Charles and how it had been when they'd come to the institute. Telling each other all the different ways that the professor had been such a great difference in there lives.

_The Professors Will._

After the institute was empty except for myself, the twins, Jean, Scott, Ororo, Logan, and Hank it was time for the reading of his will. We all gathered around that large dinning room table bringing back only the sad memory for those of us who'd been there the night of the party as we had waited so many hours for Jean and Charles to come back home. Hank sat at the head of the table going over a large stack of papers before he began to read. The institute of course had been left to Jean and Scott his first students and possibly the most responsible to take it on. There were various different things left to each member of the time, special things that the professor had cherished over the years everyone got something, except for Logan who sat next to me, clutching my hand as I held one of the twins in my lap and the other in Logan's. They didn't understand the concept of death and were always asking one of us. 'When will Chawles come back?' and once again we would have to explain that Charles was in heaven now watching down over us so we had to make him extra proud and not be sad because he had gone away.

Finally as Hank concluded he picked up a yellow folder from the table as we all were standing to leave the room and walked over to Logan holding it out to him.

"Charles, left this for you Logan…that's the reason it was not read off in the will. It is yours to have to begin with. I found it going through some of his notes…far well my friend I shall see you in Boston shortly." Hank said patting Logan on the shoulder as Hank would be leaving on the first flight to Boston tomorrow morning. Logan was quiet for a long time as he held the folder, letting me take the twins up to there room for nap time.

_A Letter From Charles._

Logan took the folder up into his room, opening it the first thing that caught his eye was a envelop with his name written in Charles hand writing on the front. Taking it he broke the seal shaking the paper lose and leaning back against the pillows as he began to read.

_My Dearest Logan,_

_It is my sincere regret that if you are indeed reading this letter that I have passed on into the other life. I had so wanted to give you this information myself someday. But as I am not in body to do so, I took it upon myself when you first arrived here at the institute to do as much as I could to help you uncover your past, I believe what is held in this folder will help you on your way._

_Yours Truly,_

_Professor Charles F. Xavier_

Refolding the letter he tucked it back into the envelop laying it aside as he looked at the contents of the folder. In short Charles had indeed recovered his past, his rightful home and even his name. James Howlett. It was stunning. And amidst all the papers and photographs one of a man, woman and a small boy sickly looking as he was but he had the same intense hazel eyes Logan had and he knew that it was him. The date on the photo went back all the way to the 19th century. Reading over it all seems that Howlett Mansion had been turned into a tourist attraction run by a elderly couple who's grandparents had been head maid and butler back in the day and there was still on living relative of the Howlett family living in the house. There was a number and address on how to arrange a private tour of the mansion. Logan was sure that if he wrote to the remaining relative or the care takers that they would be able to talk to him.

Over the next few weeks Logan got into contact with a Lillian Howlett a cousin of the original owners of the mansion who informed Logan that after the murders of her cousin and his wife as well as the groundskeeper that there was still a missing heir there son James had been kidnapped that night by the maid who had killed them. They had never been able to find the missing son, and they if he indeed did had such a strong resemblance to John and Elisabeth Howletts son James then to please do come she would be more then happy to have him stay in her home while hey sorted through all this.

Logan was more then pleased with himself, he was going to go to Alberta, Canada to find out about his past seems he'd been looking in the right place for so many years and nothing like this had ever crossed his mind. But what would he do about Marie, and the twins Bobby and Kitty he was supposed to go to Boston with them in three days. After much thought he decided to take them with him. His own true feelings about Marie were much more then just a father figure he loved the girl and she was of age now he could marry her if he really wanted to and they could adopted the twins as there own.

Going straight to Marie's room she now kept the twins with her at almost all times, she loved them she took care of them. It was strange to think of her as that same little teenage girl who'd hated them both in the beginning because she was afraid that they would take her place.

Of course upon asking her to go with him she was more then happy to go. Logan was the lost heir to the Howlett fortune he really was James Howlett but explaining that he was a mutant and had lived for all those years without a memory of who he really was would have been all to hard to explain to anyone and so they would just pretend that Logan was James' grandson instead of going through all the trouble of explaining who and what he was because still Logan didn't have any memory of this place or of being a boy there or even of being kidnapped by the maid who'd killed his parents. He wished he did remember so he could savor knowing wither he killed her or not.

Neither Logan or Marie had any idea of what they would be getting themselves into once they reached the Howlett Mansion. No idea.

_The Train to Howlett Mansion._

Early the next morning Marie and Logan both awoke early having back two suitcase's each Logan had packed everything he would need while Marie had crammed everything she could of her clothes into one while packing the twins clothes and toys into the other. Hugs and kisses where given at the train station as Marie waved from the window to Scott, Jean, and Ororo. They had promised to phone when they arrived and to remember to keep in touch and if there was anything they needed to never hesitate to let them know.

Being as it was so early the twins thankfully slept a good part of the morning before they awake Kitty announcing that they where hungry. She whined and cried saying "Weeee don't want to go to some big stupid mansion. Weeeee want to stay home, don't want to be on some stupid train!" And that wasn't the end of her screaming she promptly let everyone know when she and Bobby weren't happy and it seemed that they where unhappy about just about everything until they had food in there bellies, thank goodness the food car had cereal with raisins or else there would have been another tantrum. After breakfast Marie got down some of there toys she had brought in the suitcase onto the train and they played with there dolls and trucks while she and Logan both kept fairly quiet watching everything pass by them quickly. Kitty was busily chatting with one of her dolls while Bobby stood up in his seat to drive on of his trucks up and down the back of it.

As the hours passed Kitty became tired with her dolls and crawled into Marie's lap as Bobby did into Logan's. Whatever Kitty did Bobby was sure to follow in her foot steps and both Marie and Logan were tired as well so they stretched there legs out on the opposite sits and fell asleep for a few hours as it was nearing the twins bed times and neither had seemed to complain or more Kitty had complained of being hungry since breakfast.

Dozing off Marie holding Kitty in her arms she slipped into a rather unpleasant dream. It was dark and cold and the only light they could see was from a small barred window that was too high even to hold the twins up to see the outside. The dream seemed to go on and on for years until finally one day the X-Men found them there all huddled up together holding each other like zombies there skin as which as liquid paper and there eyes dark and sunken in. The team had tried to find them but they had been too late they had all starved to death there in that cell where it was dark and cold with no sunshine.

Marie was jolted away by Logan touching her shoulder as she heard there stop being called out. Looking out of the window it was still dark outside and what stood outside of the window was only two bench's with a four posts that had she supposed used to hold a roof over the seats but it didn't seem to be there it was hard to see and she had to squint her eyes to see in the darkness tree's lined them on either side and a lone dirt road lead the way away from the platform.

Sitting up she shifted Kitty in her lap waking her up. "What times is it?" Marie asked Logan standing up stretching slowly as he glanced at his water. "A quarter past two." He said looking a little un easy himself as he glanced out of the window. Taking both Bobby and Kitty into her arms Logan took the one suitcase that they had brought aboard the train as they walked through the isle off of the train as the train master was unloading the rest of there luggage. As Marie looked around holding the twins she was waiting for someone to appear, someone that was supposed to pick them up. But as the train pulled away and Logan was holding all of there luggage making it look easy, no one came. They stood there and waited and waited until finally a small by determined voice broke out.

"We don't like it here! We want to go back home! Its scary here!" Was Kitty's cry right into Marie's ear which made her wince as it was a rather high pitched voice once Kitty got started.

Patting her leg gently Bobby looked around frightened before tightening his grip around her neck shaking softly. "Its alright my little sugar plums once we get to the house it wont be so scary anymore." Marie said trying to calm Kitty down who was only making Bobby's fears much worse.

Looking over towards Logan, Marie was more then a little frightened to be out in the cold night air with two babies in the middle of now where. "Do you think they forgot about us coming Logan?" Marie asked in her calmest voice not to scare the twins anymore then they already where.

Looking back over his shoulder Logan had been standing there quietly for the longest time breathing in the air his eye's closed and each time that he opened them he scanned the area trying to remember this place, somewhere in the back of his mind it seemed like he had been here before. He knew that he had. He knew that sometime a long, long time ago he had been here before. Hearing Marie he turned around giving her a wistful smile. "No I told them we where coming, probably just didn't think we would be here until later in the morning. Well we might as well start walking, no since in just sitting out here the rest of the night." Logan said moving forward everything inside of him was striving to get to his childhood home, Logan just knew that once he was inside if he could see his parents bedroom be in the same rooms he'd spent time playing as a child that he would remembering everything. He would truly remember who he really was. But at the same time as Marie started to follow Logan there was something deep inside of her that was saying 'No stop, turn back now, don't go any farther.' the haunting flash backs of the nightmare she'd had were popping back up into her mind but she didn't say anything as they made there way from the train station and down the steep rocky trail.

Logan lead them down the trail for hours, through dense forest, high grass and weeds and the twins were increasingly starting to get heavier and heavier in Marie's arms as they slept. Huffing out a breath of air her legs were tired, she didn't think she could walk any farther when she finally stopped trying to get a better grip on the twins but Logan kept a steady pace ahead of her he didn't seem to be tired at all from carrying the four suitcases. "Logan wait! I've got to rest for a second." Marie called out softly as it felt like she would surely drop the twins soon if she kept this up.

Logan stops a mile ahead of her as Marie woke the twins up which immediately started Kitty's whining. "We don't want to walk, We're too tired, We don't like it here, We wont to go home and sleep in our bed!" She shouted as Marie took in a deep breath trying hard not to snap at her and took both of there hands pulling them along with her forcing them to walk no matter how much Kitty dug her heels into the ground and tried to pull her hand away from Marie's. Catching up with Logan breathing a little heavy all she wanted to do was get to the mansion and soak her aching feet and a hot tub of water.

"How do you know we're going the right way Logan?" Marie asked keeping up with her more now that she wasn't carrying the twins. Bobby was easy he trotted along next to Marie only a few times did he stop with a look of fear in his eyes when he heard an owl hoot in the distance, but Kitty was another story she stomped she kicked rocks with her shoes she even once tired to bite Marie's hand to make her leg up but she had anticipated this and quickly jerked her arm out of Kitty's reach.

"I don't." Logan said glancing down at Bobby and giving him a little smile which seemed to sooth away all of his fears because Logan was with them, and he knew that Logan wouldn't let anything bad happen to them. "I just…have a feeling." Logan added as the sun was slowly starting to rise and they could see a large mansion at least twice the size of the institute resting majestically on a curving hill top. Raising his head he stopped short looking at the mansion for a second before a small smile spread across his lips. That was his home there, his real home and soon all his memories would be unlocked. He wouldn't be the animal Wolverine anymore he would be a man. A good man to Marie and the twins he wanted to give him a good stable home more then anything, wanted them to be comfortable to have it in his power to give them anything that they ever desired.

"See darlin, told ya. Just felt it." He said starting to walk again with even more vigor now than before he was eager to get to the mansion. Marie picked the twins up again carrying them as she had to jog a little bit to keep up with Logan's pace but she didn't complain she was just as eager as Logan was to get there although perhaps her own reasons were a little different.

As we approached the dark looming mansion on the hill we almost tip toed around it as if we were somehow afraid that we would wake someone as he came to the backdoor it swung open so quickly we didn't even have time to knock which took us all a little by surprise as an elderly woman stood there not saying a word as she looked each of us over before letting us on. Without speaking she lead us up through the back staircase and down long winding halls and up more staircases and down another long corridor before stopping at a door down the hall and opened it ushering us all inside.

Inside of the room there were two queen size beds, a small table with a lamp between them one large window with heavy tapestries covering the sun from coming into the room, a fireplace with logs resting near it and a large table for playing cards or putting puzzles together, one large wardrobe a door leading to a bathroom and a closet in the far corner. Putting the suitcases down first this room had to be meant for the twins, the woman who'd brought them up to this room would surely show Logan and herself to there separate rooms after settling the twins into bed.

"I am Ms. Lillian's head maid, while you are staying here in _her_ home you will be staying in this room until it was clarified that you are indeed a descendent of Master James Howlett." She said not giving her name but standing in the door way very stiffly as if her spine was made of cement.

At this moment as I was undressing the twins and putting them into there pajamas I looked up at the woman for a moment and then to Logan both of our faces clearly puzzled. "You don't mean the four of us stay in this one door do you?" Marie asked standing up straight again for a moment.

"Speak when you are spoken to girl!" Her voice was icy cold and seemed to boom throughout the room. At this Logan started to step forward and the woman anticipated his movements towards her when she held her hand up quickly.

"This is a house of God and there will be no violence here." She said looking coldly at Logan like he was some sort of disease. This clearly puzzled him once more as he stood there gripping his fists but hesitating to unleash the claws in front of the twins so he kept his cool.

Taking in a slow breath Marie started to pull the sheets back on one of the beds and tucking the twins in together kissing both of there foreheads gently and stroking the hair back away from there eyes. "You girl! Take that boy out of bed with the girl, Ms. Lillian will not stand for any of that filth in her home. While you are in this room the girls will sleep together in one bed and the boys in the other." She barked out another order which made Marie's eyes widen she couldn't possibly mean something going on between the twins they where only babies, innocent they didn't know anything about those kinds of adult things.

"But-." Marie was about to protest when the woman quickly strode across the room and slapped Marie's cheek sharply making Marie yelp and stagger backwards into the small table between the bed as Logan leapt forward his claws coming out but there was a painful howl when he did this. The pain was unbearable like nothing else had ever before. And the blood running from his knuckles was streaming down onto the hard one flood staining it. Marie had never seen Logan show so much pain before the twins started to scream and cry Marie was shielding them from the sight of the blood as the head maid walked out of the door as Logan was sheathing his claws back into his forearms as he hands continued to bleed he wasn't healing, not even a little bit. And a moment later the maid appeared in the door way again with two other men. Logan was losing blood so quickly and the twins they were struggling to get past Marie to Logan they thought if they kissed his 'Booboo' that he would be okay. As the two men entered the room they took Logan struggling out of there kicking and screaming clawing at them with his bloody hands to get away. The maid still standing in the door as Marie pulled the twins up into her lap as they cried and she cried. What was going on? This couldn't possibly be happening to them. She was having another nightmare they were still on the train and when she woke up it would be morning and they would get off of the train and a car would be waiting for them and when they arrived at the real mansion they would be treated as royalty.

"Get that mess clean up before I return girl or I'll whip the skin from your back." The woman snapped before shutting the door to the room behind her, and Marie heard the lock click behind her. It took almost an hour to get Bobby and Kitty calmed down, she let them sleep together until she got the blood stains cleaned up from the floor, with a bucket and rags she'd found in the bathroom closet.

Laying down beside between them for the longest time she stared up at the ceiling waiting for herself to wake up, but she was awake. More awake then she had ever been in her whole life. This was no dream, this was real. Really happening to them and no one would ever come to find them. The team thought the same thing that she and Logan had thought and if they didn't call they would probably take it as they had only gotten busy and besides they wouldn't even be expecting there call until the morning. It was still in the middle of the night…and Marie was alone with the twins in a room dark and cold and Logan had been taken away from them. She didn't know what they where doing to him. She thought once she heard him screaming somewhere far away in this massive house but she knew she couldn't have it was just her mind playing tricks on her.


	3. Lillian's House

(I really should apologize for the long wait for the next chapter, but here it is fresh off the press and I hope that you enjoy it, more will be soon to come.)

_Lillian's House._

Daylight dawned behind the heavy curtains and Marie could faintly see the sunlight as she rose from the bed stiffly looking around the room for any sign of Logan's presence he wasn't there. Kitty woke up first moving around Marie quickly standing up on the bed and jumping down to the floor running for the bathroom and shutting it quickly. Bobby still laid next to Marie curled up in a little ball before he raised his head up quickly looking around scared before asking. "Where are we?" He clutched Marie's arm tightly with his little arms searching the room for his sister.

"We came here last night on the train, don't you remember Bobby?" Marie asked sitting up as Kitty was coming out of the bathroom and crawling up on the other untouched bed resting her chin in her hands and Bobby quickly scrambled up to go to the bed his twin was sitting on when the click of the lock caught there attention. The door swung open, and the maid walked into the room carrying a basket Logan slowly walking behind her the only time his face seemed to show any emotion was to that when he saw that neither Marie or the twins had been hurt.

Jumping from the bed the twins bound for Logan's legs hugging him as Marie tried to keep from crying as she ran to embrace him as well but he seemed to tense up like her embrace was uncomfortable, but still he wrapped his arms around her quickly kissing her forehead his eyes looking hollow at the maid as she stood her arms to her sides looking like a statue staring coldly at them. After kissing Marie Logan bent down stiffly and picked up the twins holding them as they pressed kisses into his cheeks. Kitty's bird chatter already beginning as her first words where. "Logan take us away from here, this place is scary we want to go home." Brushing his face against hers he nodded slowly whispering. "I know, I know darlin, I'm sorry for bringing you here…I know its scary." But before Logan could go on any farther the maid seemed to snap into action.

"Ms. Lillian has written a list of rules you will obey while living under her roof." She said taking a slip of paper from her pocket and holding it out as she cleared her voice. "One- You are always to be fully dressed." And as she said this she made _always_ seem impossible. "Two- You will never take the Lords name in vain, and will always say grace before every meal. If I am not in the room to hear your prays rest assure in knowing the HE above will hear you and see you." "Three- Your are never to open the curtains, even just to take a peek outside. " "Four- You will not use your mutations as they are abomination against GOD and all things good, if you do use your powers you will be punished even if I do not find out about them as this entire house has been re-wired by the Canadian army years who that shuts down your mutant gene." She stopped there giving Logan a cold stare. "Five- You will keep this room clean and orderly with the beds always made." "Six- You are never to be idle. You will devote five hours each day to studying, and use the remainder of your time to develop your abilities in some meaningful way, _if_ you have any other skills, abilities, or talents other then your mutant abilities." She confirmed. "If you have no other skills, abilities or talents you will read the Bible and you will each take turns reaching a chapter a day to the younger ones so that they might be able to benefit from the Lord's word." "Seven- If I ever catch boys and girls using the bathroom at the same time, I will quite relentlessly, and without mercy, peel the skins from your backs." "Eight- You will not handle or play with the private parts of your bodies, nor will you look at them in the mirrors, nor will you think about them when you are cleansing these parts of your bodies.. "Nine- You will refrain from looking at the opposite sex unless it is absolutely necessary." "Ten- You will each bathe daily and wash away the ring from the tub and leave the bathroom as spotless as when you found it." "Eleven- You will eat all the food I bring you and not waist one bit, nor throw it away or hide it. It is a sin to waist good food one so many are starving." "Twelve- You will not walk around the bedroom wearing only your night clothes even if you are going from the bed to bathroom or bathroom to bed. You will always wear a robe of some time over your sleeping clothes or under wear if for some reason you have to leave the bathroom suddenly so that someone else may use the bathroom." At that moment she folded up the slip of paper and laid it down next to the basket she read off all those rules as if it was she herself who'd wrote them. Neither of us were able to speak after that for along moment as she kept standing there as if she was piercing the rules into us with her cold eyes.

Logan put Kitty and Bobby back down onto the floor as if he knew there was something that he had to do as the woman stood there for the longest time. Stepping away from us his back facing the three of us as he started to unbutton his shirt, it was just now that I even noticed that he wasn't wearing the number of layers of shirts that he had been when we're first arrived and now I understood just way as he let his flannel shirt fall over his back revealing his bloody and battered back as long red painful looking lash marks were on it. I gasped, Kitty and Bobby stared in away. At first Kitty started to reach out to touch them but I quickly caught her up in my arms pulling her and Bobby over to the bed and sitting with them on my knee's.

"Take a good long hard too. Because this is what will happen to you if you are ever caught breaking the rules in this house." She said a cold sneer curling at the corners of her lips before she strode to the door shut it and locked it again behind her.

Logan pulled his shirt up slowly leaving it open in the front as he turned around, Marie had never seen him look so defeated as he did in that moment. And as he sat down on the edge of the bed next to her taking Bobby from her lap and holding him in his own he seemed to break a little bit cradling that small boy in his arms his fingers pushing tendrils of his hair away from his forehead. He'd never before been so degraded in his entire life, and what was worse was that he knew he had never been so degraded. The maid, the nameless woman who issued the orders to them only moments before with promises of a whipping just like this one if anyone broke one single rule be accident was Lillian though the truth of who she was had not yet come out to Logan or Marie and the twins just yet. He didn't speak as Marie turned on the two lamps inside of the room to bring light into it which was still very dim. He didn't say a word when she went into the bathroom and ran a basin of water and came back into the room washing his back gingerly.

He was still turning over all the memories inside of his head, who he was what had really happened the night his parents where killed along with the grounds keeper. Why he'd always had an attraction to Jean because in his sub-conscious she reminded him of his first love, Rose. The woman he had accidentally killed in a fight with the grounds keepers son Dog after running away and working in the mines. He couldn't bring himself to talk about it, not now. Not just yet. He himself was still to confused and heart broken to understand it. And it wasn't just his younger years that had come back to him. He remembered everything being a soldier in the Canadian army, living through world war one and two. And then being a part of the Weapon X project and all the things he'd been made to do by Stryker.


	4. The Attic

(I couldn't find an exact date from which James Howlett originated I could only find out that he was from the 19th century so I had to make up a date.)

_The Attic_

Our first real day in our one room prison was a lonely dark time, Marie had spent the time after Logan had returned to the room giving the twins baths and feeding them. But Logan kept quiet sitting on the edge of the bed his head hung low she wondered how he couldn't have sensed coming here was a bad idea, maybe it was the fact that there powers where now useless to them that he felt powerless to safe them. Either way they would find a way to get out of here, they could run away Marie could hardly stand being in this one room longer then the day they had already spent in it much less any longer for that cousin to find out if Logan really was who he said he was. But even that wasn't the truth. Had they known that James was a mutant? Was that why they had set the mansion up to power down there mutations? Was this some unconscious way for punishing him for what he was? No one really knew.

The twins where getting restless on the floor Bobby running his toy trucks along the floor Kitty with her never ending bird chatter was enough to send Marie to the bathroom cringing. They couldn't last here for long, and in the state that Logan was in now he seemed to be in some kind of shock did he know something he wasn't telling her? Fear crept into her heart. What if they never got out of here, what if it was just like the dream she'd had on the train. One day the food would stop, the X-Men would come and be too late, finding only empty shells of there former selves.

But she had to make the best of what was going on around them, for the twin sake if not for anyone else's. Coming out of the bathroom she looked at them peering up at her with there big eyes searching her to see if they should be happy or sad knowing only them and the rest of there family left behind they would mimic whatever emotions' they saw the most. And right now they weren't receiving very many positive emotions from either one of them. Sighing heavily she forced a smile onto her face and of course the twins returned it before Kitty's cry began again. "Weee don't like it here Marie! Weee want to go home!" This was the time when Logan snapped out of his self induced coma of pity.

"Attic." He croaked his voice hoarse for a moment before he cleared it slowly standing up not as stiffly as before. Logan was a man of too much pride and he wouldn't stand by for too long letting the ones he loved the most around his see that he was like every other man. That he was weak.

"In the closet, there's an attic just to the side a door leads up there." Logan paused for a long moment as Marie and the twins stared at him as he walked over towards the closet and opened it pushing there suitcases aside as he looked around, it took some force to get the door to open but as he did a cloud of dust surrounded him making his eye's blur and his nose itchy wanting to sneeze.

"Logan, how did ya know?" Marie had slowly walked up behind them a hand of the twins in each hand as they drew closer to Logan who was now waving the dust away from his eyes blinking to see more clearly the dim ancient staircase. He wasn't ready just yet to tell Marie everything that he knew, about himself, about his past. It was all too painful to even think about himself much less try to explain it too Marie no matter how patient she was.

Craning his neck slowly to look down at Marie and the twins Logan shrugged gently. "I know…knew." He said before starting up the stairs. "You three stay back, there's no telling how weak this steps are…if anyone falls through them I want it to be me and not one of you." He called back as he made his way slowly up them checking each step as he went before reaching the top and looking around, it was like this attic was the key to his memory even when he hadn't had it, it seemed that this place was more familiar to him then anything. After all he's spent much of his childhood in this attic, took his lessons in the old attic school room along with Dog and a few other children who where at the mansion, children of the servants. Logan had been a very sickly child, aside from the attic school room he was alone. That was when Rose came along to keep him company he'd fallen in love with her… "Logan? Can we come up now?" The sound of Marie's voice broke the web of thoughts that where stringing themselves in his mind. Looking above his head there was a lone light bulb hanging from a string, that however was no familiar to him must've been installed sometime after he'd run away from the mansion. Pulling the string the bulb was covered in dust as he leaned up blowing it away as the dim light lit up the entrance to the attic. "Yeah…its safe but be careful." Logan called as he head Marie struggling to walk up the steps as Kitty protested that she didn't want to go up in this scary place.

As Logan descended the stairs Kitty was starting to bite and kick Marie when he took her into his arms knowing that it was much easier controlling Bobby then it was Kitty, she was one little fire ball and even as Logan hand control over most of her arm movements one of her tiny hard soled shoe's made a crash landing right into his crotch and it took all his power not to double over from the pain and drop her onto the floor. Regaining his composure Logan straightened a little bit the throbbing in his balls still hadn't subsided but at least he was able to walk again as he finished the last three steps and turned Kitty in his arms so she could see the attic.

Marie wasn't too far behind him dragging Bobby along with her she looked around the dark damp attic for a moment it seemed to go on for miles and miles as if it where the complete width of the mansion which of course once you looked a little farther you could tell that some parts where older then others new branches had been added on over the years trucks lining the walls as old furniture and wardrobes cluttered the walking space covered by dust ridden sheets that where half molded away from moths.

"There's nothing wrong with this space, just needs a little cleaning up that's all." She declared in the most assertive and confident tone she could muster. Letting Bobby's hand go he automatically ran to be closer to his twin as Marie started looking around, pulling sheets off of the old furniture she could actually fix up the space as a little home, or at least the closest to a home that she could. Seeing a few beams of light coming from the boarded windows she motioned for Logan to come help her pry them away from the windows letting the light in.

"See, its no so scary up here once there's some light Kitty." She said looking back at the twins who were slowly easing farther down the staircase leading up to the attic. Sighing she supposed it wasn't too bad of an idea to let them stay down on the bedroom while they tried to clean the place up a little bit, maybe once it was cleaned or as much as it could be cleaned and some sun pouring in through the windows she and Logan would be able to persuade them to come up into the attic, at least it one give them one more room to occupy there days in. Marie hoped that they wouldn't have to stay here long enough to actually get used to going into the attic. But somehow she had a sneaking feeling that they weren't the first people to have been locked away up here in this massive house.

"Don't matter how clean it is. Wee don't like it!" Kitty shouted before turning on her little heel and heading back down the stairs Bobby in toe.

Rubbing her hands together she looked at Logan who had wandered off in the maze of wardrobes and was going through one looking at the clothes inside. Some where old army uniforms like maybe someone who'd once lived in this place had been in the Canadian army. A visible chill went down Logan's back as he quickly closed the doors and looked away towards a door way into another room of the old attic. Logan immediately recognized the room as the old attic school room. Walking softly over the old rotting wood of the floor he pushed the door open a little more seeing the sun shining through the dust on the windows giving the room a golden distorted glow. There were small desks five to be exact and there were books lining the low shelves a large chalk board at one ending facing the tiny desks, the writing having been long whipped clean from it.

His memory was vague of taking his classes here, but he knew he had as he looked at one of the desks which only reached about to his knee running his finger tips over the name that had been carved into the wooden top of the desk.

_James Howlett 1902 _

Flashing back to that day Logan saw himself as the sickly and frail James Howlett, contrast to the quick healing Wolverine that he was today. He was small for his age he was probably about the age of fifteen though it was very hard to tell. Maybe his own healing factor had played a key part in what he seemed to be so young and small looking but no he thought that couldn't have possibly been the case at all. If it was then it wouldn't have looked so pale, so drained of life. He was scratching his name and the date into the wood with his finger nail when the hard wood of a ruler came smashing down on his hand feeling the sting of it even as the memory was coming back to him, Logan looked down at the back of his right hand. There was no visible mark of what had happened but he knew he carried it somewhere down deep in his soul.

Rousing from his thoughts he felt Marie's presence in the room looking back she was rubbing the window pane with the sleeve of her shirt clearing away some of the smut as she looked out onto the spacious lawns of Howlett Mansion. Moving away from the desks he'd been quiet until this moment as he moved in closer to Marie pulling her towards him in a strong embrace. The thoughts running through his mind where fogging his perception but he knew one thing for certain, he was going to take care of Marie and the twins. He'd stop it nothing to free them from the prison of his own memory lose. He never should've brought them here, how he couldn't have sensed that things where all wrong from the moment they set foot on the grounds of this looming house on the hill. Nothing good had ever come from it, it was evil in its worst form, and he would protect them from it.

"Marie." He said calmly looking into her chocolate doe eyes with complete trust, God knows he didn't deserve it right now. Not after knowing about all the things he had done. "I'm gonna take care of you." He said slowly pushing a strand of chestnut brown hair away from her eyes.

There was a pleasing smile washing over Marie's face a since of truth that she knew Logan would keep his word. "Ya promise?" She asked teasing him a little bit. She had so many feelings for the man standing before her right now. Admiration, respect, and most of all love. Love in its purest form.

Looking down into this adoring eye's Marie was looking up at him like he'd hung the moon and star's just for her. "Yeah, yeah I promise." He said pulling her more closely too him as he wrapped his arms around her figure holding her to him as if his life depended on this moment, this embrace was all that was keeping him sane inside. "Swear too God I will." He breathed against the halo of her hair before pressing his lips against her forehead.

Enveloped in his embrace Marie didn't know what all was ahead of them, but she knew that just so long as they had each other to love and take care of that everything was going to be alright. Nothing could hurt them if they just kept that love in there hearts for one another. In those early days in the attic Marie didn't know just how far that love with take them, just how far there love for one another would run so deeply in there lonely attic prison.


	5. The Wrath of the Runt

_The Wrath of the Runt_

…**::FLASH::…**

_Spring has come finally to Howlett Mansion, the long cold winter having lifted from the grounds as a young man and woman stroll over the grounds talking. The sun shinning softly down on them, as they seek out the protection of a shade tree near the end of the property. Dog Logan is there with them chatting as his father Thomas Logan attends to the grounds._

_Dog likes Rose, his attempts for her affections are gone unnoticed as young James seems to have all her attention. Dog irritated leaves them alone as they seem to be too interested in each other. James looked too Rose adoringly, she seems to be the only one who really understands him, who understands how alone he feels in this massive place with no one to talk too. It seemed to James that they could communicate without ever speaking, and as James looked into Roses eye's he leaned over gently his lips resting against hers for the first time._

_Life at Howlett mansion was nothing to praise over, of course her parents John and Elisabeth had money, but for James it was of no matter to him. Money didn't make life worth a penny in the bucket, it was love and now even though he knew that his parents loved him, James had the love of a woman that he knew didn't have to love him, or didn't feel pity for him. Rose just loved him._

…**::FLASH::…**

_Something had woken him, noises someone was inside of the house. Getting up from his bed James silently went down the halls, sounds coming from his parents bedroom people shouting inside of there, three men, and… two woman it sounded like. The door was ajar as James stepped inside. Dog and Thomas Logan where inside of his parents bedroom with Rose and his mother and father, the women where crying, Rose knelt on the floor begging Dog not to do this, his mother begging Thomas to please leave there home. John was getting out of bed fully ready to fight to the death, it had finally come out, Elisabeth and John had been having an affair together, and after Dog's attempt of forcing himself on Rose his father had finally fired Thomas. This had only added fuel to the fire of there rage coming back for there revenge. As John was rounding the bed Thomas cocked his shotgun and without mercy shot him in the chest the spray of John's blood covered the bed, floor, and part of Thomas's face as he hit the floor. The sound of screaming awakened James from his shock as he felt something tearing from his hands rage filling his body as he looked to see three bone claws sheathed from his hands, weapons for the killing as he stabbed Thomas through the gun and slashed Dog across the face before he ran in fear. Everything went black then. __Elizabeth, upon witnessing the death of her husband, her lover, and the emergence of James' claws, promptly commited suicide._

_Rose not thinking straight at the time, takes James and runs away from Howlett Mansion leaving the bodies of those dead in the bedroom behind before the proper authorities could arrive. Later on the police questioned Dog who promptly blamed the entire course of events on Rose. With Rose being blamed for the deaths of the Howlett's and Thomas Logan, James was dismissed by his bitter grandfather, James and Rose set out for parts unknown._

…**::FLASH::…**

_Wandering into British Columbia James joined the mining colony there having lost all memory of his parents, his childhood and even his own name to avoid questioning from the locals Rose told people that they where cousins and that James' name was Logan, for reasons why she said his name was Logan was her own reminder of whom had caused all there trouble._

_Logan had to struggle under the harsh conditions of mining, but through the years as his abilities developed, (His healing factor) Logan became stronger earning him the nickname Wolverine. Life in the colony was hard but it served well for there survival. James began to talk to Rose less and less about the past immersing himself in the local sport of hunting. _

_As time went on James' grandfather began to have a change of heart and on his deathbed asked that Dog find his grandson so that he might see him once more before he died. Dog having his own plans of revenge for the scare on his face tracked James and Rose to the mining colony where once again in there lives tragedy struck._

…**::FLASH::…**

_There was a deep pain in his body the vengeful fists of Dog's hands pounding away at his body as a large crowd surrounded them, restraining from using his claws James fought Dog to the best of his ability until Rose parted the crowd urging Dog to stop, to leave them all. _

_Having had enough of Dog, James sheathed his claws the crowd stunned. They'd run once they could run again James thought to himself as he lunged for Dog but before Logan could burry his claws into his gut he found Rose standing there in front of him looking hurt and shocked as Dog had pulled her in front of him using her body as a shield, although not a very good one. James' claws sunk into Rose passing through her body and into Dog's as well killing him._

_But the damage had been done, in James' attempt to kill Dog he'd also killed the only person he could trust, the only person he loved. Rose._

…**::FLASH::…**

There was a clear sheen of sweat covering Logan's body as he surged awake from his dream, finding Marie laying on her side watching him willing him to wake up, having long since learned not to try to wake a sleeping Wolverine from his nightmares. He turned looking the sheets over for any sign that the claws had come out while he was sleeping and had ripped them up, or worse possibly hurt the sleeping little boy laying next to him.

But there was no blood, no pieces of sheets torn to bits, just a small boy curled onto his side sound asleep, as Marie lay on her side watching him silently. Something in the tears lingering inside of her eyes told him that she knew he hadn't been having any one of his usual nightmares. Whipping the sheets away from his side of the bed and swinging his legs out his head coming to rest inside of his palms shaking. Of all the nightmares he'd had in all his life none of them could compare to the guilt that he felt after this one. Getting up from the bed searching for a shirt Marie was sitting up in bed now still watching him as silently as before. In some way he wished that she would say something and break this hurtful silence between them. Shrugging it off Logan headed for the closet, seeking out the darkness of the attic to hide his own shame.

Following Logan into the attic Marie found him perched at the window letting the cool summer breeze dry the sweat still lingering heavily on his upper body. She hadn't been able to find sleep that night and at the wake of Logan's dream she'd turned to watch him moving in his sleep calling out only one name. 'Rose' she didn't know who he could be dreaming of, but she could tell from his tortured movements that he had been no good dream.

"Who's Rose, Logan?" She asked as she came closer to Logan pulling him into her arms as she felt his shoulders begin to wrack with fresh tears. And there the whole story of Logan's sorted and tortured past came out.


End file.
